SUPERMARKET chain Somerfield was told today it must sell 12 stores to prevent a "substantial lessening" of competition in the local area.

The ruling follows an investigation by the Competition Commission into the acquisition of 115 convenience stores from Safeway owner Morrisons.

The Competition Commission previously identified 14 sites where the deal gave cause for concern, but this figure has now been reduced to 12 following consulations.

In its submission last month, Somerfield accused the Competition Commission of acting on a "theoretical possibility" that it would behave in a certain way.

In seven towns, Somerfield must sell the stores it acquired from Morrisons - at Filey, North Yorkshire; Middlesbrough Linthorpe; Newark; Pocklington, East Riding; Poole Bearwood; South Shields; and Whitburn, West Lothian.

In Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Peebles in the Scottish Borders and Yarm at Stockton-on-Tees, Somerfield can choose to sell the acquired store or an existing outlet. In Kelso and Littlehampton, it has already closed the site.

The Competition Commission reduced the number of stores to be sold by two because it was satisfied that the acquisition of sites at Bedlington and Paisley would not impact on the local grocery market.